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Police are saying the body found floating off Sea Lots in Port of Spain is yet to be positively identified.

The man was found last Wednesday, one day after heavy rains and floods in some parts of the country.

Besson Street Police Officers were called to Sea Lots after residents saw the man’s body floating.

The Coast Guard was also called in to bring the body ashore.

Up to yesterday police reported there was no positive id of the body.

There is the belief that the man may have been washed away during the floods which occurred in Maraval, St. Anns and surrounding areas.

Opposition MP Rushton Parray says there is no statistical data to support governments moves to reopen the economy.

The Mayaro MP says they are making decisions by “vaps”.

On Saturday Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said that retail would open in 1 week.

At the United National Congress weekly media briefing yesterday MP Parray said this type of decision-making is not good for the country.

Mr. Parray also said there is no plans for the retail and small business sectors of the economy.

And MP Davenath Tancoo said the Minister of Finance has misled the country yet again.

Mr. Tancoo is the Opposition member for Oropouche west.

Eight people have died of the coronavirus, bringing the new fatality number to 1,137.

The Ministry of Health says the latest fatalities are 5 elderly males, 1 elderly female and 2 middle aged females all with comorbidities.

The release also says there have been 129 new positive cases in the previous 24 hours bringing the total active positive cases to 5922.

According to the release sent yesterday there were 315 patients at hospital and 5399 in home self-isolation. 

It said 417,070 have received their first dose of vaccine while 228,175 have been fully vaccinated.

But on the weekend, Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh was not pleased with the vaccination numbers.

Meanwhile the Downtown Owners and Merchants Association says it is not satisfied with the vaccination levels ahead of the reopening of the retail sector.

President Gregory Aboud says it is a necessary risk being taken because there is a need to get back to business.

The retail sector is to be reopened next Monday.

The government on the weekend announced this.

Also being reopened today are the games managed by The National Lotteries Control Board.

But one Muslim Cleric is questioning the reopening of the NLCB gambling booths ahead of places of worship.

Head of the Islamic Front Imam Umar Abduallah is questioning it.

Imam Abdullah says it is a sign of the end times.

Speaking via a video release Mr. Abdullah yesterday questioned the decision by the State.

In an official release on the reopening of the sector the Ministry of Health said it would continue to monitor this development and take steps to safeguard the health of the population.

A former Joint Consultative Council President says there maybe some questions to answer following the flooding.

Afra Raymond, a chartered surveyor, is not pointing fingers but he tells Newscenter 5 regulatory bodies need to do their job.

Mr. Raymond yesterday noted in particular, the Environmental Management Authority and Town and Country.

He says some special attention is needed.     

Mr. Raymond, who served as head of JCC from 2010 to 2015, believes this situation could have been avoided if a storm water management system existed.

In October 2012, after extensive work by the Storm Water Committee, Capital Signal Limited was awarded the contract for the Port of Spain flood alleviation project.

However the venture, funded by the inter American Development Bank never materialised.

Clean up of Port of Spain and surrounding areas will continue today, 2 days after heavy rains and floods.

Residents, community groups, government Ministers and several arms of the security services yesterday spent several hours cleaning up the mess, left behind.

Areas Cascade, Maraval and around Port of Spain experienced severe flooding and residents yesterday found themselves removing mud and debris.

Government officials spent most of the day visiting affected communities.

National Security Minister, Fitzgerald Hinds was among them.

Last night on TV6 Minister Hinds estimated that things should be back to normal in some of those communities affected, by noon today.

He was pleased with the collaborations, which worked in the massive cleanup exercise.

Yesterday Port of Spain Mayor Joel Martinez stressed that the areas of Cascade and Maraval were in a bad way.

According to the Mayor, City Corporation workers were on the streets during the curfew hours of Tuesday night, as they tried to bring relief.

And the Downtown Owners and Merchants Association finds it shameful that after over 50 years of independence flooding in the capital city causes such devastation.

Head of DOMA Gregory Aboud says Port of Spain should not be in this situation today.

Mr. Aboud tells us the association has had countless meeting with officials giving recommendations.

All of which he says have been ignored.

And Minister of Works and Transport Rohan Sinanan yesterday said no infrastructure would be have been able to withstand the volume of rain.

He explained that the work done on the river courses helped in a situation that could be have been worse.

Meanwhile Opposition Member of Parliament for St. Augustine, Khadija Ameen says the Mayor of Port of Spain should demit office.

She is asking that Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley to request the resignation of Joel Martinez after the widespread flooding in Port of Spain and environs.

Ms. Ameen also said the judgment of Mayor Martinez must be questioned now, considering his multi million dollar proposal for the transformation of the Mandela Park.

Ms. Ameen also said projects such as vending and homeless persons in the capital need to be prioritised by the Mayor.

Police are now trying to determine the identity of a body found in waters off Sea Lots of Port of Spain.

Up to last evening there was no positive ID of the man’s body.

On Tuesday afternoon, residents saw the body floating and notified the police.

Officers from the Besson Street Station responded and they called in the Coast Guard.

The body was brought to shore.

Police believe the man may have drowned but an autopsy is to be conducted on the body.

On Tuesday there were claims that a man was swept away by raging floodwaters.

Those claims were never confirmed.

Investigators are no yet ready to say if the man may have drowned during the floods and heavy rains of Tuesday afternoon.

Clean up operations continue in areas badly affected by yesterday’s heavy rains and floods.

As rivers burst their banks yesterday, the flash flooding hit downtown Port of Spain, Maraval, St. Anns, Cascade and parts of east and central.

In Cascade the volume of water caused parked cars to slam into each other.

Several vehicles toppled into the river and were carried away.

Government has since vowed to assist those affected.

National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds says he will visit the homes of some people who were affected today.

Speaking with Newscenter 5 this morning, Minister Hinds said thus far there have been no reports of loss of life during yesterday flooding.

The Minister also said this is a learning experience and the Keith Rowley led administration is working to ensure it does not reoccur.

Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley describes as a foolish idea, plans by the Port of Spain City Corporation to transform the Mandela Park.

There was a $20 million dollar tag to the proposals put forward by city Mayor Joel Martinez and un-named private entities.  

The Port of Spain City Corporation’s plans were to transform Nelson Mandela Park into a modern public wellness and sports tourism hub.

Yesterday, Dr. Keith Rowley said, replacing the natural environment with artificial turf is a salesman’s foolish idea that ought not to waste the time or the resources of the Port of Spain Corporation.

Dr. Rowley said the corporation could put its time and money too much better use and spare citizens this unnecessary aggravation.

Yesterday Mayor Martinez said he thought it to be a good idea.

But the Mayor said the plan has now been shelved.

The Mayor was speaking with Newscenter 5 yesterday.

There was a proposal among other things, to install a synthetic surface playing field, instead of grass.

In addition persons would have had to pay to use the park.